Darrell Creel

New interpretations of mimbres public architecture and space: Implications for cultural change

Recent excavations and reanalysis of existing data on communal pit structures provide intriguing insights into ritual and cultural developments over a period of about 350 years, from A.D. 800 to 1140, in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico. In the middle of this period, people shifted dwellings from pithouses to pueblos, a shift previously viewed as the pivotal transformation of Mimbres society. In this paper we show that significant changes in Mimbres society began in the A.D. 800s. Trends in the construction methods of communal pit structures, the placement of dedicatory items within them, their ritual retirements, and their long-lived significance within Mimbres villages, reflect other changes that occurred in Mimbres society. We contend that in the A.D. 800s, rapid change based on strong connections with the Hohokam of southern Arizona and agricultural intensification began a trajectory that culminated in the Classic Mimbres pueblos of the A.D. 1000s and early 1100s.

Scale and Time-Space Systematics in the Post-A.D. 1100 Mimbres Region of the North American Southwest

Abstract Time-space systematics for the end of the Classic Mimbres period and subsequent developments in southwest New Mexico are outlined, and the variable spatial scale of these processes is emphasized. The regional unity of the Late Pithouse and Classic periods began to break down around a.d. 1130, a time when disparate developments characterize different portions of the region. The Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 1130 and later) represents the first steps toward significant and rapid changes and is seen primarily in the Mimbres Valley. The Postclassic Mimbres (ca. a.d. 1130–1200), in the eastern Mimbres area, represents settlement changes after the depopulation of large Classic Mimbres villages. The later, though not well dated, Black Mountain phase in the southern part of the region refers to new styles of pottery and architecture, with ties to the south, including Paquimé. Abstract En este trabajo se esbosan los patrones de tiempo y espacio de finales del periodo Clásico de Mimbres y sns subsecuentes desarrollos en el suroeste de Nuevo Mexico, asi como también se enfatiza la variabilidad de la escala espacial de estos procesos. La unidad regional, presente durante los periodos Pithouse Tardio y Clásico, comienza afracturarse al rededor de 1130 d.c., en un tiempo cuando diferentes porciones de la región de Mimbres se caracterizan por desarrollos desiguales. El Clásico Terminal (ca. de 1130 d.c. y posterior a esta fecha), representa los primeros pasos hacia cambios significativos y rápidos y se observa principalmente en el Valle de Mimbres. El Mimbres Postclásico (ca. 1130–1200 d.c.), en el este del área Mimbres, presenta cambios en su asentamiento despues de la despoblación degrandes pueblos del Mimbres Clásico. La líltima, aunque no bien fechada, fase Black Mountain en la parte sur de la región, se refiere a nuevos estilos cerátnicos y arquitectónicos, que presentan conecciones con el sur de esta érea, incluyendo Paquimé.

Faunal Record From West Central Texas and Its Bearing On Late Holocene Bison Population Changes in the Southern Plains

A faunal record from archaeologicalsite 41TG91, Tom Green County, Texas, contains good evidence for late Holocene bison population changes in the west central portion of the state. The prehistoric faunal remains occur in stratified overbank flood deposits along the South Concho River and date from ca 600 B.C. to A.D. 1650-1700. Bison bone occurs in all deposits except those dating approximately A.D. 90

Biological relationships between foragers and farmers of South-Central North America: Nonmetric dental traits

Abstract Studies of relationships between archeology and biology in the south-central North America can enhance interpretations of social interactions between foraging and farming groups. The present report analyzes the adult dentition of hunter-gatherer populations from what is now Texas and compares them with adjacent samples of agriculturalists. These agriculturallist samples represent the Southwestern (Mimbres-Mogollon) and Southeastern (Caddo) cultural spheres. Nonmetric dental traits provide a useful means for evaluating the biological similarities between different populations. Mahalanobis distance analysis of these traits, drawn from 902 individuals, reveal relatively little morphological similarity between hunter-gatherer and farming groups. Except for a sample of Archaic foragers from the gulf coastal plain, hunter-gatherer samples are more similar to each other than to adjacent agriculturalists. Results suggest that Archaic populations were morphologically diverse, while there was relatively little gene flow between hunter-gatherer and farming populations during the Late Prehistoric period. The overall dissimilarity between hunter-gatherer, Mimbres, and Caddo samples suggests that each may have arisen from a relatively distant common ancestry.

Anthropomorphic Rock Art Figures in the Middle Mimbres Valley, New Mexico

ABSTRACTAnthropomorphic rock art figures occur frequently at rock art sites in the middle Mimbres River Valley of New Mexico. During survey in 1987, 23 sites with rock art were recorded, 11 of which have anthropomorphic figures. Most of these figures can be attributed to the Jornada Style, dated at roughly A.D. 1000–1400. Thes figures range from full-body images to masks. The so-called Tlaloc figures have no counterpart representation on Mimbres Classic Black-on-white pottery vessels, and it is suggested that they and certain other figures might be images involved in ritual efforts to bring rain and, thus, alleviate agricultural stress.

Re-evaluating the Mimbres Region Prehispanic Chronometric Record

Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chronometric dates obtained from contexts dating prior to A.D. 1450, but until now these data have not been compiled into a single database. Using dendrochronological, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic dates, we analyze each of the chronometric data sets to identify patterns and biases that help us better understand the tempo and duration of fundamental transitions in the Mimbres archaeological record. We also identify critical gaps in our knowledge of the chronometric record that provide new research opportunities.

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis of Pottery from the George C. Davis (41Ce19) Site, Texas

The George C. Davis Site (41CE19) in central East Texas holds a prominent position in American archaeology. Fifty prehistoric ceramic specimens from early Caddoan contexts (A.D. 800–1200) were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) at the Missouri University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR). The chemical compositions of the Davis ceramics were compared with previously identified Caddoan ceramic compositional groups. Early Caddoan ceramics from the Davis site likely originate from local alluvial clays in the Neches River Basin. Investigating issues of ceramic production, we conclude that clays from multiple sources and/or different ceramic recipes were used to make various Caddoan pottery types.

Ritual Construction, Use and Retirement of Mimbres Three Circle Phase Great Kivas

Three Circle phase great kivas in the Mimbres area of southwest New Mexico have been the subject of new field investigations and reanalysis of data from earlier excavations. The findings have led to an enhanced and more detailed understanding of physical changes in these special buildings during the Three Circle phase, particularly with regard to dating and ritual behaviors associated with construction, use, and formal retirement.

Mimbres Great Kivas and Plazas During the Three Circle Phase, ca. AD 850–1000†

Most Mimbres villages had a great kiva that opened onto and was accessed through a plaza area during the Three Circle phase. In the few cases where these plazas have been excavated, secondary cremations and related artifact caches were present in some quantity. Use of plazas for interment of cremated individuals continued into the Mimbres Classic period, although great kivas were no longer built and used. The plazas remained in use, still surrounded by buildings which were by then fully surface pueblos.

Response to Perttula

Perttula has made some important points in his response to our recent article. First, he notes that we may have included some preCaddoan individuals in our Caddo sample, thereby biasing the sample. Second, he suggests that we should have split the Caddo samples into groups presumably reflecting the historically observed geographic/cultural differences in northeast Texas. In regard to the first point, we note that at most, there are only three or four possible preCaddo remains in the sample we used. They are not likely to have significantly affected the result of our statistical analysis. It would have been highly desirable to have an adequate sample of pre-Caddo dentition for inclusion in our study, but there simply were not enough earlier teeth available due to factors such as relatively small number of remains known and available, poor preservation, and destruction of teeth by cremation. In regard to the second point, we agree on the desirability of splitting the Caddo sample into subgroups, although this subject has previously been covered by Lee (1999). However, our intent in that article was to compare and contrast dentition over a very large area, and we elected to lump all of the Caddo remains into a single group just as we lumped in other cultural/geographic areas. Indeed, in our background section, we stated that the groupings are based upon geography, rather than distinct cultural boundaries or discrete time periods. The data on which our article is based are available for use by others with new research questions, and we hope that additional data can be added to the pool generated by our research. Certainly, there are teeth from sites in Texas that we were unable to access that we hope can be analyzed in the future, and there are also directly relevant samples from adjacent states.